100% Correct Answers.
What are the 3 basic components of the circulatory system? - Answer 1. The heart: pump that
generates the pressure necessary to move blood throughout circulatory system
2. The blood vessels: conduits through which the blood passes to deliver nutrients to cels and to
carry their metabolic wastes away
3. The blood: transport media in which materials are moved throughout the body; everything is
dissolved in, suspended in, or bound within the blood for long distance movement
What are the 5 functions of the circulatory system? - Answer 1. Gas exchange: delivery of
oxygen, removal of carbon dioxide
2. Nutrient and water delivery and absorption: by cells
3. Removal of heat and metabolic waste: exercising muscle generates excess heat and constant
supply of fresh blood flowing through muscle helps removes heat and metabolic waste
4. Immunity and defence: blood transports key immune cells that can quickly identify and
neutralize foreign particles
5. Cell communication: cells from one part of the body can communicate with other more
distant cells by releasing chemical messages into blood
How is the circulatory system organized? - Answer - Closed loop system
- 2 pumps
- 2 circulation systems
- Left and right sides of heart
What are the two circulation systems? - Answer 1. Pulmonary circulatory system: moves blood
to and from the lungs
2. Systemic circulatory system: moves blood throughout rest of body
Explain why blood flow is serial throughout the circulatory system? - Answer Blood that leaves
the left side of the heart flows through the systemic circulation into the right side of the heart
and then into the lungs before returning to the left side of the heart
, How is the systemic circulation designed to deliver blood in parallel? - Answer When blood
leaves the left side of the heart, it flows through branching blood vessels which direct the blood
to all the tissues and organs of the body simultaneously; after leaving the tissues and organs,
these branched blood vessels come back together to deliver all of the blood back to the right
side of the heart
What is the left and right sides of the heart separated by? - Answer The septum
Each pump of the heart is divided into an upper chamber and a lower chamber, what are they
and what do they do? - Answer Atrium and ventricle; atria receive blood that is returning to
the heart and transfer it to the ventricles which pump the blood out of the heart
What vessels are involved in blood transfer with the heart, what do they do? - Answer Arteries
take blood away from the heart, veins return blood to the heart (regardless if it is oxygenated or
not)
Describe the flow of blood in the heart in 7 steps - Answer 1. Oxygen rich blood is pumped
from the left ventricle into the very large artery called the aorta
2. This oxygen rich blood is then delivered to the various tissues and organs
3. At the level of the tissues and organs; oxygen and other nutrients are removed from the
blood while carbon dioxide and other waste products are added to the blood
4. The blood is now oxygen-poor, it circulates in the veins and eventually returns to the right
atria via two large veins called the venae cavae
5. The blood is then pumped into the right ventricle and then pumped again out through the
pulmonary artery, taking the blood to the lungs
6. In the lungs, the carbon dioxide is removed and oxygen is added to the blood
7. Now oxygen rich blood flows through pulmonary vein into left atria where it is pumped into
the left ventricle to start the circuit again
Why is blood flow unidirectional? How is this ensured? - Answer In order to maintain constant
delivery of oxygen-rich blood to tissues and organs; ensured by the presence of 4 pressure-
operated cardiac valves so when pressure is great enough the valves open, but when the
pressure decreases, the valve shut to stop blood from flowing backwards
So when are the pressure-operated valves in the heart open/closed? - Answer Open: pressure
is greater behind the valve, it opens
Closed: When pressure is greater in front of the valve, it closes (one way valve)
What are the type types of valves in the heart? - Answer 1. Atrioventricular valves
2. Semilunar valves